"There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. These essays are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot" - Aldo Leopold

2009/12/09

Short Post again: Moon and Pheasants

Gosh, I hope I am not getting lazy to go outside these days. Maybe it's because of the cold temperature? Anyways, I still didn't go out during my lunch break today, but again had two more images to share today.

(Half) moon-watch in the early morning.

And inside the gentleman's restroom in one of the hotels in downtown Vancouver hangs this picture of a male and female Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus). It seemed very strange to me that the hotel decides to hang this picture in the men's washroom.

Pheasants, M & F - Plate LVII

Anyways, after some Googling just now, I discovered that this beautifully hand-colored engraving belongs in the second edition of Prideaux John Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846) and was being auctioned here. Very neat - especially the idea of full-sized paintings!